Pato scoring the winner

Following the midweek loss to Tottenham Milan seemed to be suffering a hangover against Chievo. The side was lacklustre throughout the whole match displaying no rhythm in their play. But, importantly, in the end all three points were collected and for a side chasing the Scudetto this is all that matters.

So often since arriving at the club Antonio Cassano’s presence on the field has made Milan a much more threatening side. His ability to carve out openings and create goals has been telling.  But, against Chievo, Cassano took a day off, like the rest of his team mates. It was probably his worst performance for Milan so far and his substitution hinted that Max Allegri thought the same.

Despite Milan’s poor performance, victory was only possible because Chievo were even worse. The Flying Donkey’s had just a few nice patches of play and on one of them they scored. It was weak by Milan to concede like they did. Milan had the numbers in the box to deal with the danger, yet, the players failed to pick up their markers. It was a simple mistake that should not have been committed.

In a dour match there are few positives that can be drawn. One is that Milan won despite their below par display. Two, was the performance of Mark van Bommel, who again ran the shown with clever tact from the centre. Perhaps a third was the display of Ignazio Abate who again was effective down the right flank. But, the major highlight for Milan was the magnificent solo run and goal by Alexandre Pato.

The young Brazilian is a prodigious talent, but, perhaps due to his failure to link up with Ibrahimovic, he has seen himself benched in the last three games. Yet, his fantastic winner will have made a point with Max Allegri.

The young Brazilian probably deserves more playing time. With the remarkable record of scoring ten goals in just eleven starts this season, if the Brazilian were playing for any other side in the league he would probably be starting every game.

Following on from this match Milan will need to greatly improve their game and quickly. The next two weeks could determine the club’s fate for this season. Next week it is Napoli at home before an away encounter with Juventus. A win in both these games will go some way to ensuring Scudetto success. Any lost points, or, heaven forbid, a loss could see the title race thrown wide open. To complete a tough schedule, Milan has to then play the second leg against Tottenham at White Hart Lane, surely the toughest task of all.

Injuries, poor form and cup-tied players along with some difficult matches present some tough challenges for Max Allegri. Without doubt, the next two weeks representthe biggest challenge in the young tactician’s short career. For a coach still relatively unproven at the highest level, if he is successful during this period only then will the club know that in hiring him they made the right decision.